A-Avis Home Services Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. Blog

It’s Time for Furnace Maintenance

Here in Riverside, it’s still not quite cold enough to be blasting our heaters throughout the day. But that doesn’t mean you haven’t been using your heater during these chilly winter nights. Despite what the rest of the nation thinks about California weather, we do have our cold nights! During this time, you’ll want to be keeping a close eye on your furnace. It’s been a while since you’ve fired it up last, after all.

If you haven’t had any issues yet, we’re glad. But we don’t want to promise that it will stay issue-free. Now’s the perfect time to get your system checked out with a maintenance call. We’ll give you a couple of reasons why down below:

Prevent Carbon Monoxide Leaks

You most likely won’t hear too many stories about gas accidents—that’s because it’s pretty safe to use! Especially when handled by an expert, there’s really no issue with using gas appliances. The real problem comes from neglecting maintenance and repairs. One of the most common furnace accidents caused by neglect is the carbon monoxide leak, and that can happen for a few reasons:

Cracked Heat Exchanger: The heat exchanger is the part of the furnace that creates the hot air, so you can understand that this is a crucial piece of the machine. After several years of use, the heat exchanger can crack, and that can lead to CO leaks.

Clogged Air Filter: Your furnace uses an air filter to catch dust and particles before they enter the sensitive components of the machine. This filter will need to be changed regularly, however, or else it can block airflow and potentially cause a CO leak.

Flue Pipe Problems: The flue pipe is what vents harmful gases—such as carbon monoxide—outside of the home. If this pipe becomes damaged or clogged, that can spell trouble.

Reduce Monthly Energy Costs

Another reason we insist on maintenance is due to the fact that it can go a long way in reducing your monthly energy costs.

During the summer, most homeowners will try their best not to blast their air conditioner all day. That’s because AC is commonly seen as a luxury. But with heating, it’s more like a necessity. And that means when the colder months do roll around later this year, you’re going to want to be able to run your heater as long as you like, completely guilt-free.

Furnaces naturally fall into disrepair due to wear-and-tear, but before it becomes a full-blown breakdown, it will take its toll on your efficiency by gradually driving up your energy costs. Maintenance is what will help you get your furnace running at a reasonable monthly rate.